The document discusses why students with special needs should be included in general education classrooms. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that students with disabilities be educated alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. For inclusion to be successful, certain attitudes, services, supports, collaboration practices, instructional methods, and a cooperative learning environment need to be in place. A sample scenario is provided showing how two teachers implement inclusive practices through co-teaching, individualized instruction, peer support, and collaborative planning.

1. Why do we Include Students
with Special Needs

2. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that
a continuum of placement options be available to meet the needs
of students with disabilities. The law also requires that:
• "to the maximum extent appropriate, children with
disabilities
• ... are educated with children who are not disabled, and
that special
• classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children
with
• disabilities from the regular environment occurs only when
the nature
• or severity of the disability is such that education in regular
classes
• with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot
be attained
• satisfactorily." IDEA Sec. 612 (5) (B).

3. ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS
• The regular teacher believes that the student can
succeed.
• School personnel are committed to accepting
responsibility for the learning outcomes of students
with disabilities.
• School personnel and the students in the class have
been prepared to receive a student with disabilities.
• Parents are informed and support program goals.
• Special education staff are committed to collaborative
practice in general education classrooms.

4. SERVICES AND PHYSICAL
ACCOMMODATIONS
• Services needed by the student are
available (e.g., health, physical,
occupational, or speech therapy).
• Accommodations to the physical plant
and equipment are adequate to meet
the student's needs (e.g., toys, building
and playground facilities, learning
materials, assistive devices).

5. SCHOOL SUPPORT
• The principal understands the needs of students with
disabilities.
• Adequate numbers of personnel, including aides and
support personnel, are available.
• Adequate staff development and technical
assistance, based on the needs of the school
personnel, are being provided (e.g., information on
disabilities, instructional methods, awareness and
acceptance activities for students, and team building
skills).
• Appropriate policies and procedures for monitoring
individual student progress, including grading and
testing, are in place.

6. COLLABORATION
• Special educators are part of the instructional
or planning team.
• Teaming approaches are used for problem-
solving and program implementation.
• Regular teachers, special education teachers,
and other specialists collaborate (e.g., co-
teaching, team teaching, teacher assistance
teams).

7. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
• Teachers have the knowledge and skills
needed to select and adapt curricula and
instructional methods according to individual
student needs.
• A variety of instructional arrangements are
available (e.g., team teaching, cross-grade
grouping, peer tutoring, teacher assistance
teams).
• Teachers foster a cooperative learning
environment and promote socialization.

8. MAKING IT WORK: A SAMPLE SCENARIO
Jane Smith teaches third grade at Lincoln Elementary School. Three days a week, she co-teaches the class with Lynn Vogel, a special
education teacher. Their 25 students include 4 who have special needs due to disabilities and 2 others who currently need special help in
specific curriculum areas. Each of the students with a disability has an IEP that was developed by a team that included both teachers. The
teachers, paraprofessionals, and the school principal believe that these students have a great deal to contribute to the class and that they
will achieve their best in the environment of a general education classroom.
All of the school personnel have attended in service training designed to develop collaborative skills for teaming and problem-solving. Mrs.
Smith and the two paraprofessionals who work in the classroom also received special training on disabilities and on how to create an
inclusive classroom environment. The school principal, Ben Parks, had worked in special education many years ago and has received
training on the impact of new special education developments and instructional arrangements on school administration. Each year, Mr.
Parks works with the building staff to identify areas in which new training is needed. For specific questions that may arise, technical
assistance is available through a regional special education cooperative.
Mrs. Smith and Miss Vogel share responsibility for teaching and for supervising their two paraprofessionals. In addition to the time they
spend together in the classroom, they spend 1 to 4 hours per week planning instruction, plus additional planning time with other teachers
and support personnel who work with their students.
The teachers use their joint planning time to problem-solve and discuss the use of special instructional techniques for all students who
need special assistance. Monitoring and adapting instruction for individual students is an ongoing activity. The teachers use curriculum-
based measurement to systematically assess their students' learning progress. They adapt curricula so that lessons begin at the edge of
the student's knowledge, adding new material at the student's pace, and presenting it in a style consistent with the student's learning style.
For some students, preorganizers or chapter previews are used to bring out the most important points of the material to be learned; for
other students, new vocabulary words may need to be highlighted or reduced reading levels may be required. Some students may use
special activity worksheets, while others may learn best by using media or computer-assisted instruction.
In the classroom, the teachers group students differently for different activities. Sometimes, the teachers and para-professionals divide the
class, each teaching a small group or tutoring individuals. They use cooperative learning projects to help the students learn to work
together and develop social relationships. Peer tutors provide extra help to students who need it. Students without disabilities are more
than willing to help their friends who have disabilities, and vice versa.
While the regular classroom may not be the best learning environment for every child with a disability, it is highly desirable for all who can
benefit. It provides contact with age peers and prepares all students for the diversity of the world beyond the classroom.